Freckles and football
by icantthinkofaname11
Summary: AU mundane high school: Jace has never loved anything but football, until a red head moves in next door. Now he can't imagine a life with out her. Told by Isabelle Lightwood as she sees her brother fall head over heals for something you can't find under Friday night lights.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own and of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

I never thought Jace would find somebody he loved. Like really loved. Unconditionally. But it was obvious to anyone just how in love he is. And they didn't even see the progression or the little moments that it took. Granted it didn't take much, one smile and he was gone.

He wasn't a player per say he just was never the most patient person. He had slept with a few girls, none of which he was remotely serious with but he didn't do it often and he certainly didn't brag about it.

He was hot. Like am I staring at the sun or your face hot and he knew it. But despite the arrogant attitude he possessed he didn't have a very high sense of self worth.

And to top it all off, he was athletic. Not like ARE you going to college to play football, but WhERE are you going to play football. Not DID you guys win yesterday? But HOW bad did you beat the other team yesterday?

He was proud of his ability on the field. He told me once that he would give up everything for football. School (not that that one would be very hard), girls, parties, everything. Family? I had asked. He just looked at me grinning.

I know what he was thinking. That we would never make him choose. We would be at every single one of his games and he would be at every single one of mine. Well the ones we could make at least. He would never skip practice even if it was on the same day of my states game. He would just book it out of there to see as much as he could possibly could and I guess that was where his love of the game really showed. I would take any excuse to miss practice and he wouldn't miss a practice for anyone or any reason.

That all changed though. One day football was the most important thing in his life and the next day she was. Not that she would even make his choose either. She loved him as much as he loved her. And well this love, is so much more important than his love for friday night lights and her love for blank white canvases and bottle of paint.

We had lived in the same house for as long as I've been around. This was the first place I went after I was born. This was the place I grew up. Where I lived with my family. With my parents. My two brothers. And eventually we added a new one.

This wasn't like Max who was in my mom's belly one day and in her arms the next. No. This was different. This was new. He was ten, the same age as Alec. They couldn't have been more different. Alec was quiet and reserved and Jace was loud and outgoing. They also couldn't have been closer. Jace stood up for Alec when people teased him for being so quiet. Alec spent hours practicing with Jace despite the fact, that although good, he didn't have an interest in sports like Jace. Alec played because that's what young kids do and played in high school to stay in shape. Jace played because he loved every second of it. From the exhilarating feeling of winning all the way down to the to sore to get out of bed feeling. From scrimmages to 4:00a.m. practices on Saturday mornings when most kids were just getting to bed.

My dad, from the moment he knew just how much Jace loved the game, did everything he could possibly do to help him. Set up a basketball hoop so he could practice when football season ended. Bought him some hockey skates so he could take his aggression out on the ice. Signed him for every skills practice out there. Made sure he was on the best travel teams in the state. And it all payed off to. Jace was happy to play all year around and he was good to. Schools were always coming up to him to talk about how great their school, despite the fact that recruiting isn't allowed in high school. College's were trying to get him the moment he graduated from eighth grade and his high school made sure that he had the best coach he could possibly have.

He set foot in high school already the most popular kid at school. Everyone knew his name and despite the fact that he acted like he enjoyed it, I know he would rather just hang out with Alec all day long. He couldn't though. At home was another story, though.

They were attached at the hip. Not like girls though. They weren't always right next to each other or new everything about what the person did that day. No they were close like brothers were meant to be. They had each others backs when mom and dad were screaming at the other. They did their homework at the same table and went swimming at the same time. They didn't spend time together because they always had, like me and Alec, they enjoyed each others company because they remember what it was like before.

I was jealous for a while. I was the biological sister, not Jace. He may have been apart of our family but he wasn't blood. It used to be me and Alec and than suddenly I wasn't. It hurt. Like a lot. But than somebody moved in next door.

My junior year of high school, the boy's senior year of high school our lives changed forever. Jace was getting ready to commit to a college. He had so many offers but all he wanted was to win a states championship with his team. I wanted it too, for him as well as me. I played volleyball. Like serious volleyball.

I had been starting varsity since my freshman year. My height made me ideal for the sport and my hang time helped me crush the ball. I was being looked at by a few colleges myself. And no my family didn't ignore me for Jace, they were at every single one of my games they could be at. Max with his comic books and Alec with his phone. Jace on the other hand, was there to cheer me on. He didn't sit with the rest of the student section though, he sat with the family. He louder than them combined though.

All throughout his junior year he was at every home game and playoff game cheering me on. We only were a solid team but we didn't have a good libero. Like at all. So we got stuck receiving for to long and didn't have good enough digs to get us back in the close games. We were undefeated in the regular season but come playoff time, we were no longer able to get away with it. Third round we got crushed. Embarrassingly so. The senior on our team was our setter and she couldn't stop crying when we lost the game. We promised her we'd avenge this loss for her next year. It wasn't much of a comforting thought for her, but for us, it was a promise. All we needed was a libero and soon enough our prayers were answered.

The occupants of the house next door were officially moved in one month before school started, a day before two a days. We were on our way to introduce ourselves when I saw her for the first time. She was in a pair of cutoffs and an old t-shirt washing her car. Her fiery red curls were thrown in a messy looking ponytail and she almost didn't hear us coming.

She turned around to greet us when she saw us in the window of her car when I heard Jace suck in a deep breath of air. I didn't blame him. She was seriously pretty. She was tiny, like shorter than five feet tiny, with a cute nose and bright green eyes. Her skin looked flawless despite the amount of freckles she had. Jace was hooked and she hadn't even opened her mouth yet.

She pulled her earphones out of her ears and Jace's favorite band Bastille was suddenly noticeable. Her mouth stretched in to a smile as she greeted us. I was the first to respond introducing us to her and she was quick to shake all our hands. Jace was stunned out of silence when she smiled at him and instead of the usual smirk I was accustomed to seeing, a real grin spread across his face as he shook her hand. She introduced herself as Clary before I invited her over for a swim. She looked surprised at first but quickly agreed after she finished washing her car. I told her to come over when she was done and I'd be waiting for her in the backyard, and that was the day Jace realized there was more to life than football.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights go to Cassandra Clare**

He went straight to the basement when we got home. Right to the weight room. He may have not known why he was so buzzed but I did. This was the first time something other than football, caused adrenaline to rush through his veins. I was quick to change and head in to the back yard to set up and make sure i didn't keep her waiting.

After I cleaned out the pool and put the rafts in she opened the gate and walked in. She had a towel on her shoulder and a t-shirt covering her bathing suit. I smiled and motioned her over to where I was easing my way in to the pool. She tossed her towel on a chair and shed her t-shirt before coming to sit on the edge by me. I thought it would be awkward but I quickly learned she was really cool. We talked about families, school, relationships (that one I did for Jace) and soon I found my first female best friend.

She was quick to notice the sand volleyball court next to the basketball court farther back in our yard. I asked her if she played and she said she used to at her old school. We looked at each other and were both climbing out of the pool while I cranked the music louder so we could hear it farther back. She grabbed a ball and just by the way she held the ball I knew she was going to be a force to be reckon with.

We played in the grass next to the court as we peppered. She was by far the best player I had ever seen. Her form was amazing, her sets were perfect, her spikes accurate and her digs. Well there wasn't really a word to describe how perfect they were. My hits kept getting harder and her passes kept getting better.

Jace had finished working out and had changed into a swimsuit to cool off and was exiting the house. He quickly spotted us playing and was to stunned to move. Clary was amazing. She dove and had enough time to get straight back up for another hit. She ran around the yard like a chicken with no head passing every ball perfectly right above my head. She spiked the ball directly at me and it shanked all the way over to the pool.

I took one look at her and fell to my knees. I begged. I pleaded. I demanded she came to practice tomorrow because she was the best volleyball player I have ever seen. She pulled her lip between her teeth, which I spooned realized was her unsure face, and voice her concerns. She was new here, what if she took somebody's spot, she wanted to focus on art. My responses were rapid fire. Everybody would be to shocked at how well she played to notice she was new or care that she had taken their spot. She could still focus on her art and play volleyball, it was only a couple of months.

Jace had made his was over by then. Face still flushed (although I think part of that was her) with sweat running down his body. He was drinking her in with his eyes. He started with her perfectly painted toenails to her toned thighs and volleyball butt, past her muscles on her stomach, above her small blue bikini top, straight to her freckled covered face and pretty red hair. She didn't even notice him coming. She was to busy looking at me.

He cleared his throat and than started babbling on and on about how he had been to almost everyone of my games and he had never seen someone as incredible as her, in a lot more words and stuttering. Cool as ice Clary's cheeks heated up as a slight blush crept upon her white cheeks. His cheeks and neck were becoming so red I thought he might have gotten a bad case of sunburn in the three minutes he had been out here.

I stood back up and asked her is she would be willing to come give it a try. With the persistent looks she was receiving from both Jace and I she caved within seconds. I squealed and ran to my phone leaving them alone, to have their first proper conversation. As I was talking to coach I heard them both laughing. They had picked up a volleyball, the one sport Jace was not naturally talented in, and trying to pass back and forth. Clary was playing completely different than before. She wasn't trying to show off or even get a good pepper going, she was simply passing a volleyball to a guy who looked so lost. Until he spiked it at her. Her pass had gone straight above his head and he had come down swinging. Straight at her face. She barely had enough time to through her hands up and deflect the ball. This threw her off balance though and with a slight squeal of surprise she lying on her back.

He was at her side before the ball even touched the ground apologizing over and over to much avail because she was to busy laughing to notice him losing his lunch over almost breaking her nose. She stretched her arms up so he could help her up. He quickly accessed the damage, checking her out in the process, deeming it safe for her to walk away, with him trailing of course. I pretended not to roll my eyes as his eyes trailed down. Clary was red faced and hot as she reached me. Coach was so excited, demanding that he talked to her. I handed over the phone and she was at practice the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:I do not know any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare**

From that moment onward she was a permanent fixture in all of our lives. She became my best friend and warm up partner. She became Max's lifeline to comics. And Alex's study buddy. My parent's favorite child (not even joking). And most importantly she became Jace's relief. By the time summer was over his instagram had been replaced of all football and team photos for pictures of him and Clary. His life had a new focus. They did everything together. He took her to the beach, tubing, to Cedar Point, to the movies, for ice cream, to volleyball practice everyday. He counted any minute not in her presence a waste of time. His new best friend, after Alec, became Jon, Clary's big brother. When he wasn't at football or with Clary, he was in the pool with Jon and Alec. And when Clary wasn't with Jace she was with me or the team.

The team loved her. She excelled at everything. No matter who was on the other side of the net she was always the best on the court. And the thing they found most exciting was her and Jace. Nobody new how she became so important to him, all they new was that they're famous quarterback was wrapped around a five foot midget's finger. And Jace's football friends found themselves dumbfounded at the sight of Jace with his arm around Clary and a smile to rival the sun on his face.

And yet. They weren't dating. And my parents were totally cool with it too. They weren't like the movies where they make their son choose between football and the girl. They were practically hinting at marriage and Jace hadn't even admitted he liked her yet. Well at least to anyone but her.

She came to the second half of practice one day, after going out to lunch with Jace, with a story to tell. She whispered to me in between drills how Jace took her to Potbellys (their favorite place) and confessed in between a lot of stuttering how much he liked her. She had simply grabbed his hand and said," I like you too." He had smiled and gave her hand a squeeze before finishing his sandwich. That was all that was said on the subject and she was cool with that. She said she didn't need a title to know how much he liked her.

That quickly changed though. On the first day of school Jace drove to school with Alec and Jon. They were going to carpool because they all played football and they didn't want to waste money on gas. Clary and I drove her car and dropped Max off at the middle school on our way. By the time we arrived we had five minutes to get to homeroom. People were milling around their lockers and almost all stopped to stare at Clary. This was the girl in all of Jace's recent pictures and the subject in just about every tweet.

Jace was crouched by his locker a couple down from Jon, who was waiting for Clary. Jace was to busy throwing books in his locker to notice Clary walk by, until she ruffled his hair on her way. His head instantly pushed into her hand and a smile replaced his usual bored expression. His eyes followed her as she walked to her brother. Jon and her talked for a minute before she walked towards the junior lockers with me down the hall. Jace watched us as we disappeared around a corner before he refocused on the task at hand.

What they didn't realize was that everybody in the hall had watched the exchange and were already talking about it. Girls were cooing over the way Jace had acted and guys were whispering about how hot Clary was. Before the first bell even rang signalling the first day of school, Clary was the subject of everyone's talk. And the best part was that Clary didn't give two hoots about what was being said. Jace. Jace on the other hand did. Not because he thought it would hurt his rep, but because he thought Clary was going to be hurt by all of what was going on. He glared daggers at anyone who even mentioned her name and his normal stoic face was fixed into a scowl. And people began to understand, she was off limits.

By third period the only thing being said about Clary was how cool she was. She was intelligent and sassy. Nice and pretty. Athletic and artistic. She was pretty much dating the unattainable guy and had a really hot brother. Her position on the volleyball team gave her some more leverage in the school and they the team always making sure she was doing okay. In no time Jace was back to being passive about everything.

Lunch came after fifth period and all of us were lucky to have been put in the same one. Clary and I sat with the rest of the team after we grabbed our stuff from our lockers. Jon and Jace sat with Alec at the table next us. Jace made sure he was sitting directly behind Clary so he could talk to her anytime he wanted. Jordan, their friend Bat, and Raphael joined them shortly after they sat down.

Clary was eating her sandwich and strawberries when Jace put his arms on either side of her head and boxed her in underneath him. She rolled her eyes as he kissed her forehead and grabbed a strawberry before moving his arms from around her. She stopped him by grabbing his arm. He instantly leaned down so his face was closer so he could hear her ask for chocolate covered pretzel she knows Maryse packed him. His hand slid from hers and he grabbed the bowl of pretzels from his table offering her one. She gladly took two and he went back to his table with another strawberry and a shoulder squeeze.

By the time school was over Clary and Jace were the power couple (despite the fact that they weren't dating). Clary and I headed to the locker room to change into our spandex for practice. The rest of the team filtered in and out at the same time. Freshman and JV had to set up the nets so they went first followed by the varsity. We did drills and ran outside around the track all practice. The football team was on the field doing sprints and learning plays at the same time we did stairs on the bleachers and ran miles around the track.

By the time we were finished we had all shed our shirts and were running our final mile in nothing but our sport bras and spandex. After we walked a cool down lap we grabbed our water and shirts and headed back inside. We played bingo bango bongo for the twenty minutes left of practice. By the time we left all of us were starving and sweating profusely.

Clary and I were walking to her car in the student parking lot when Jace, Jon, and Alec walked out of the boy's locker room. Clary was dead on her feet and Jace gave her a piggy back ride to her car. (I was just as tired but my turd of a brother didn't offer me one) Jon was carrying both of their bags as Jace's hands were a little full. Clary was pretty much asleep on Jace's back and he refused to let her drive home so Jon and I switched places so he could drive both of them home. This became our routine before games started.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for all nice reviews. In answer to whether dialogue will be added or not, the answer is no. That's not really what I wanted to do with this story but it will get more detailed, I was still kind of laying out a bit of the ground work in the previous chapters.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

The Tuesday following the first week of school was our first volleyball game. We all dressed up in nice clothes and made each other cookies. Jace showed up to school wearing all red from head to toe along with the rest of the football team. There was an unspoken agreement, we go to their games, they come to ours. It was the first game for any sport all year and the school was hyped. Everybody was wearing red and wishing us luck. This was an important day for more than just the volleyball game, this was the day Jace and Clary became official.

All throughout the day he kept sending her messages about how beautiful she looked dressed up and he brought her Potbellys from his free period for lunch. She had shared a few bites with him because he was a teenage boy and despite the fact that he had already had one, he was still starving. When the school day ended they all headed straight to practice and we all went home. We had a couple of hours to get something in our stomachs before we had to head back up to the gym.

Clary and I drove back up to the school together dressed in yoga pants and t-shirts to watch the JV game. Some of the team was already there sitting behind the bench in the stands waiting for the game to start. We watched the first set before we left to go get changed. All of us pulled on our white uniforms on except Clary, whose was black. Music was blasting and we were dancing, getting our blood pumping and our adrenaline flowing to beat the other team.

Warms up had just started when the mass of student in red came in. Jace for the first time was among them, sprouting number 11, Clary's number. He was cheering loud and proud for the both of us, along with Alec (who wore number 15, which was me) and Jon who also wore number 11. Clary and I were peppering and stretching together before the first horn blew.

By the time we stood in line for the National Anthem we had warmed up passing, hitting, and serving. As the official went down the line announcing the starters the student section was going wild, none more than Jace, Alec, and Jon when Clary and I were called.

From the moment the other team served the ball and Clary passed it perfectly to Kaelie our setter, the game was in the bag. I killed it. And we went on to win the first three sets by at least ten each. We were playing with better chemistry as a team in our first game than we did in our last game. And the student section had a better time than they did all last year. They made fun of the other team and invented new cheers for us. And Jace. Jace was being rowdy in public for the first time in his whole high school career. Normally he was just a loud cheerer, but today he was standing and starting cheers and having fun.

After we shook hands we headed back to the locker room, a fresh win on our shoulders and a big smile on our face. Clary was our answer. She never missed a dig or a pass and all of her serves were like dynamite. And yet. She acted like all they did was beat a team in rec league. And that's the reason everyone loved her. She was so humble which was a nice change from every athlete at our school. She was also an amazing artist. Like that's what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Paint and ignite emotion in people. And she had already accomplished that with Jace.

He was different now. He no longer spent countless hours alone watching football film or working out all day long. His life had new meaning. Football had loved him back in some ways, like blessing him with talent, but with one injury and he's be done. All that hard work would be spit right back up in his face. Clary though, she loved encouraging him. Win or lose she was there for him. She was the first person he wanted to see and I could tell he was the only person she wanted to see right now.

In the midst of changing and talking she slipped out of the room. Exiting the locker room myself I found them with his arms around her and her head buried in his chest. He was smiling and running his hands through her hair as he praised her.

That was the moment their relationship changed. He never asked her to be his girlfriend, it just kind of happened. One moment it was Clary and the next it was my girlfriend. Went from hand holding to kissing. From hanging out to going out. Went from a happy Jace to an ecstatic Jace. He was always smiling, walking her to every class, even if it made him late to his. Going to her house everyday after practice even if they ended up falling asleep most nights within five minutes of settling down for a movie. Football was no longer his favorite part of his day. He spent all football practice wanting to go home so he could go to Clary's. And when it came to his first game, she was the one he wanted wearing his jersey.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

The Friday following the week of our first game started football season. For the next ten or so weeks every Friday would be spent in the bleachers covered in paint flinging baby powder around like it was candy.

At our school we wore the other boy's jersey on game days. If they were wearing black, we wore their white ones to school, and vice versa. Unfortunately, Jace's jersey was always in high demand. There was still a waiting list from last year on his jersey. Every game he was subjected to take a picture with a girl he didn't even know who got to wear his jersey that week. It was always in the same exact spot, in the exact same pose, with the exact same forced smile. I had worn his jersey a couple of times because I always felt bad for him. (I still made him take a picture though)

That Wednesday when they were taking requests for jerseys, Jace marched straight up to the senior handing them out and asked that Clary got to wear his. The poor stuttering girl tried to explain to him that somebody was already getting it. He said he didn't care, that other player's girls got first priority on their jersey, why shouldn't his? Clary wouldn't have cared in truth, she would have just worn Jon's, but she could tell that he wanted her wearing his jersey, not some random girl so she let him. In the end he walked away with the jersey in his hands and a girl on the verge of tears.

Friday was our first pep-rally so each grade met in the gym wearing a different school color. All the boy's in the jerseys and cheerleaders in their uniform. Clary and I were sitting with the rest of the juniors when all the cheerleaders started doing their routine in the middle of the gym. After the spirit cheer five students from every grade participated in the games, cheered on by their section. Seniors won, as usual. Jace, Jordan, Alec, Sebastian, and a basketball player Will dominated in all of their events. Clary and I hardly bothered watching, we just talked about going to the mall the next day and cheering when Jace and Alec won their competitions. Pep-rallies were never as fun as we made them out to be. All we wanted to do was practice and go home to get ready for the game.

We were let out early from practice to get ready for the football game so we would be there to cheer them on like they cheered us on. Clary drive us home where we showered and changed back into the jerseys. She wore a pair of cutoffs and I pulled on a pair of yoga pants that stopped after my knees. We went to the school early to paint up. I put hand prints all over Clary's arms and thighs before she put them on my face and arms.

By the time the game started we had already used half our baby powder and made fun of the opposing team and their cheerleaders. Raphael kicked off for our team and the game was off. By the time the first half was over Jace had ran one touch town, threw three more, and had 0 interceptions. Clary was going nuts cheering for him next to me and he kept glancing over to the student section trying to find her. Even in the dark it only took a few tries to find her fiery red hair next to me.

By the time the game was over Jace had ran for two more and thrown one more with only one turnover. The final score was 48-21. (Our extra point kicker had missed one of his shots). As the team ran up the stairs next to the bleachers, because ours were built into a hill, Clary and I made our way to our boys. Jace was instantly hugging her as she tried her best to get away from his stinky ness to no avail. Laughing she just hugged him back before she asked for a picture. He obliged immediately kissing her cheek as I snapped the picture. She could ask for the moon and he would die trying to get for her. Congratulating Jon and Alec we walked to her car.

Normally the team and the other students went to Applebees but Clary and I just wanted to watch a movie, so that's where we were on Friday night. In her basement, crying our eyes out two movies in our Nicholas Sparks movies marathon. Jon showed up shortly after we finished the second one and joined us.(He totally cried when the old man died during The Longest Ride)

After we watched A Walk To Remember Jace and Alec came to take me home since I was to tired to know my left from right. Jon was making his was to Clary to carry her to her bed when Jace offered to do it for him. He never made it home that night. All Clary had to to do was mumble the word stay to get him curled up around her in her bed for the whole night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights bong to Cassandra Clare.**

Jace had asked Clary to homecoming. He had driven early to school for 'practice' with Alec and Jon. They decorated her locker with a bunch of hearts and bought chocolates for her and put them inside. Jace would be standing in the hallway next to hers with a huge teddy bear. I was to get her there on time and dressed nicely. The volleyball team had to dress up today so she was wearing a black romper with triangles cut out. (It was Jace's favorite outfit) Walking into school I kept her preoccupied as we walked down the hall. Jon gave the go for Jace to come out with teddy bear as Clary reached her locker.

She was smiling as she opened her locker and grabbing the chocolates out of her locker to inspect them. Malley's chocolate covered pretzels. Her favorite. She turned to look at me, noticing I had my phone out, taking a video. Her head turned towards Jace as he pulled out the poorly concealed giant teddy bear from behind his back. She smiled and nodded when he asked her to be his date for homecoming. Placing the chocolates back in her locker she ignored the bear and threw her arms around him. He just squeezed her tight before kissing the side of her head and than my video cut out.

We had gotten dresses the other day when we went shopping because she knew he was going to ask her, she just didn't know when or where. She had a huge smile on her face the whole day, but the chocolates were gone by third period. The teddy bear had been safely transported to her car, but the necklace it was wearing was now around her neck.

I hadn't known about that part. It was in the shape of a heart and the back was engraved with "I love you more than football" in small cursive letters. There was a football shaped silver pendant hanging from the front and it was gorgeous. She never took it off again, accept for when she got caught with it on the volleyball court.

Jace set the curve for homecoming. As soon as he asked, everybody else started asking. Raphael had asked me with roses and a sign the same week that Jordan asked his girlfriend Maia with a sign spelled out with candy bars. Nobody had topped the giant teddy bear though, or the smile on both of their faces.

Homecoming court was another story. You have to be a senior to be on court and Jace was a shoe in. Not only was he the most athletic but he was also liked by everybody, even more so since Clary opened him up a little. He got on court by a landslide along with a jerk named Sebastian, Alec, Jordan, Will, and a musician Eric. The girls were Aline, Kaylee, Maia, Tessa, Seelie, and Maureen. The race was between Tessa and Aline because both were popular for different reasons, but I didn't care either way. All of the homecoming court went in the same group so Clary was going to tag along with them and I would be in Raphael and Jon's group.

Homecoming was on us soon enough and I dragged Clary away from Jace, they had been watching a superhero movie with Max on the couch, and dressed her up.

Her dress was short and black, flaring out at the waist with sleeves made of lace, and no back. She wore her hair down in smooth curls, because Jace liked her hair down, and wore minimal make up. She also wore tall red high heels and the necklace he got her.

After helping me get into my tight red dress with a plunging neckline and 7 inch high black heels she straightened my hair into a black curtain and pulled some of it back. I quickly did my own make up before Raphael came to pick me up.

Jace was wearing a red vest and black pants and a black tie when I walked down. He kissed me on the cheek and told me I looked beautiful before he saw Clary. She literally took his breath away. Her head was down as she fixed the Pandora bracelet on her wrist as she descended the stairs.

I felt like I was watching an old fashioned movie when the guy is gobsmacked by his girlfriend's beauty, which is a pretty solid definition for how Jace looked right now. He was normally so smooth with the ladies, but Clary had him blushing like pubescent teenager, looking at a girl for the first time. He tried to tell her how beautiful she looked but couldn't form a coherent sentence so she just silenced him with a kiss, which seemed to wake him up.

All night long he clung to her like glue. He already posted a picture of him kissing her cheek when he was supposed to be smiling at the camera. His caption read 'the luckiest guy in the world' and I knew he thought he was too. Her smile was bright as they danced together. The only time they were apart the whole night was when he had to dance with Aline because they won homecoming . And the whole time he was looking at her as she danced with Aline's date.

That was their first night they ever went all the way. Her parents were out of town and Jon was spending the night somewhere else. Jace had never waited before in his life. Normally he had sex and asked questions later. But this time he wanted to do it right. So they did. He took her home and walked her to the door. She walked right in not even checking to see if he was following her. He shed his vest and loosened his tie as he followed her to the kitchen. They ate chips and laughed together before he kissed her.

One thing lead to another, and he didn't make it home that night. And when he did come home the following morning he was lighter than I've ever seen him. He took the teasing from Alec and I with a smile on his face and told us over and over how much he loved her. He loved her so much it hurt. But he didn't care, because it felt so good. He had never understood why guys had always looked in the stands to see if their girls were watching them. Or how they could tell somebody everything, but now he did, and he never wanted to let it go.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for all of your nice reviews! Again, some more people have mentioned dialogue and I'm sorry if you don't like that this story doesn't contain much, if any, but that's just not what I want to do with this story. Appreciate your input though. Happy Resurection Day!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

The first time they ever fought was over a kid named Simon. Clary had mentioned him in the passing before, about a best friend she had left back in Detroit. He came to visit her on long weekend in October because she couldn't get away from volleyball to go see him. Clary spent a lot of time with him that weekend because that's what you do when you have company over, and Jace was very protective over her and who she spent her time with.

The first time they met, Clary was in her room showering after volleyball and Jace had come by to see her before he and Alec spent the day together at Cedar Point. Simon was sitting at the kitchen island waiting for Clary. It wasn't like Jace didn't know he was coming, Clary had been so excited all week. To say they got off on the wrong foot would be an understatement. In Jace's defense Simon had started it, by calling him a fake dyed blonde with a low IQ who didn't appreciate Clary. I think Jace would have let it go, if not for the last part.

Clary, who could hear the yelling from the bathroom, came running down stairs with her wet hair in a bun and a fluffy towel wrapped around her. Both Jace and Simon openly gaped at her. That was when Jace figured out why Simon had been so harsh to him, because he himself was in love with Clary. So, naturally, he called him out on it.

This led to a row between Simon and Clary because she had no idea, she was a really oblivious person and he had left before they even got to hang out. Clary was upset and she was angry with Jace for being so irrational. They fought, he left mad and hurt, she stayed upset and teary eyed. It took him two whole hours to call her from the bathroom at Cedar Point and apologize for what happened. She apologized too, and that was the end of that. Her and Simon made up and Jace and him made an effort to get along, for Clary.

Simon started coming around a lot more after that and eventually realized how much Jace loved her. By the way he brought her food, gave her massages, peppered her with kisses, randomly bought her flowers, helped her with homework, never missed a game when he could help it, gave her space when she painted, watched chick-flicks with her, and told her he loved her every second of every day. And he could tell she loved him. Through the way she let him steal her food(which nobody else got away with), was at every single one of his games, took care of him when he was sick, took naps with him when she knew he was tired but refused to listen to anyone else, watched film with him, and kissed away all of his worries about his future.

His dream had always been to go to OSU. It was only a couple of hours away, he loved their campus, and he loved Urban Meyer. The only problem was that they already had a quarterback, and he didn't know how long he was going to stay or if they would red shirt him, which he didn't want. He wanted to get his time in and go to the NFL.

And until this year, he didn't have to worry about leaving anybody behind. Alec was going to OSU to become a doctor and they were going to room together. Now he had Clary to worry about. If she asked him to go to a community college I have no doubt in my mind he would go there for a year and wait for her. She didn't even know the power she held over him.

They had talked about colleges before and I know she didn't want to go to OSU but she would consider it if he went. She told him that if they were going to last it was because they loved each other not because they did or did not go to the same college. Plenty of couples who attended the same colleges split and plenty who went to different colleges stayed together and vice versa. She didn't want him to change his whole future for her. So he decided when the time came to commit he was going to choose what was best for him, even if it was her.

Both of our teams were undefeated by the time playoffs came around and both Clary and Jace felt pressure to play better. With out meaning to, we all told Clary that she was the only reason we were this far and that she needed to keep playing her best if we wanted to continue. You could see the pressure that was on her shoulders and you could tell she was feeling it. Her body ached from the amount of effort and work she was putting in at practice and Jace was feeling it to. He was the quarterback. The best high school player in Ohio and everyone was putting pressure on him, except Clary.

When ever they hung out not a word was said about their sports. Until she broke down crying. She babbled about how she didn't know how he could handle all the attention and the pressure. About how sorry she was that all anyone ever talked to him about was football. About how sorry she was that she was complaining about this small amount of pressure when he had the weight of the school on his shoulders. He just held her and let her cry on his shoulder, like she had let him do so many times before.

He told her that she was the best person he knew. At volleyball. In school. The best person. The best artist. The best friend he had ever had. Which was a high compliment seeing as how close him and Alec were. That was all she needed. She was back to normal the next day. Back to the leader on court and the comic relief when things were going south.

That Saturday was the first volleyball playoff game in the afternoon and football game in the evening. So Jace was there, with Alec and Jon, sitting by our parents and Luke, watching us warm up. I think his presence calmed Clary down, because her passes fell right into place and her serves never missed their destination again.

This game was like another regular season game. We were number 1 in the conference so we were playing the last place team. Needless to say we crushed them in the first three sets with the second half of our bench. Jace kissed Clary good game and goodbye before they exited the gym and to the locker room.

Three hours later we were in the bleachers decked out in neon colors and had our pig flippers and cow bells at the ready. They were in the same position as us. Number one in the conference with home field advantage so they were out there in their black uniforms. We crushed them. 56-3. And that how's the rest of playoffs went. Our games on Wednesday and Saturday. And from our game on Saturday to the Boys. We saw what we could and that was that. Well, until we lost.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

We had made it all the way. We had scraped by with two wins at regional semis and finals but we couldn't at states. We had won the day before to advance us on to states in the fourth set in front of all of our friends and families but we weren't so lucky the day of states.

Waking up in our hotel rooms in Columbus and helping ourselves to our healthy breakfast before heading to the gym we felt tired but good. This was going to be our first back to back game in a couple months and we were already feeling it. The adrenaline that had kept us up last night pumping through our blood was gone and in its place was a tiredness that none of us could shake. We thought that warm ups would get us going again, but it didn't. We were slow to the ball, Clary's passes weren't up to their usual par so our tired setter, not used to having to move, suffered, and our hits were all out of bounds. Luckily we had six hours before we had to be back in the gym for warm ups.

After some power naps and a good lunch we met up in Clary's and I's room. We killed the last couple of hours going over highlights of the season and just spending time with each other. We wanted to enjoy this once in a life time opportunity together so we did. We blasted music and jumped on beds and got ready for the game. We wore our black jerseys and Clary wore her white one. This was it. Make it or break it.

Warm ups were better. Clary's passes were better and so we're Kaelie's sets. Our hits were in bounds again but we were still slower. Normally we played fast paced but the balls felt extra heavy today. Clary missed a few more balls than normal and Kaelie doubled a few times. Our hitting was better aimed, but much weaker than normal. Luckily for us, the other team played as lethargic as us. That or it was a huge fluke they made it here in the first place.

From the moment the first whistle blew it was anybody's game. For every point we scored they answered. And for every point they scored we got one back. It was like playing tug a war with the same exact people on each side. It was no longer about skill, but who gave up first.

We had both one two sets, so we were on the fifth one. The first to 15, win by two. We were up by now. Both teams playing like they did yesterday. All tiredness gone. The trophy was staring us both in the face and we both wanted it. And Clary shanked. We probably could have gotten it too, if we weren't so used to her perfect passes. One second to late we were running after it. Somebody got a hand on it and another person got it over only for it to be smacked right back, when nobody was back in position. We had lost. 15-13. And it felt even worse than the soreness.

Clary was crying. We all were. But hers were the worst. They weren't loud or obnoxious. They were silent but relentless. Nobody blamed her. It was a hard hit and she was bound to get the wrong side of the ball some time and it was partially our fault. We could have gotten it. But we didn't. So we hugged her and told her it wasn't her fault.

We shook hands proud of our accomplishments and accepted our second place medals and trophies with our heads held high. We congratulated the other team one more time and they all congratulated Clary on just how amazing she was. And she really was. By far the best person on the court and she didn't even want to play in college.

I could tell all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. So when we got back to our hotel rooms I let her. I changed out of uniform and took a shower, leaving her alone. I'm sure Jace was trying to reach her and I was very surprised to find her alone when I got out of the shower. She was no longer crying and she had her clothes out so she could change. I hugged her and she hugged me back, congratulating me on my good game before she took her shower.

Her phone was on the bedside table and two texts from Jace were unopened in her notifications. Packing my bag I tried my best to resist looking at them, because I'm sure they were super cute and I hardly ever get to see that side of him. She came back out in sweats and one of Jace's old hoodys (although it was from his freshmen year it still swallowed her) and a her wet hair in a messy bun. She quickly packed up her stuff and sat on the bed grabbing her phone. I sat next to her and peered over her shoulder to read Jace's texts. He was congratulating her on a good game and apologizing for having to leave right away because he had practice. In the second text he was offering to call her, he had let Alec drive his baby just in case she needed him. To my surprise she denied his offer and told him she loved him before turning her phone off.

Later, on the bus when I asked her why, she said she didn't feel like talking, all she wanted was to be held. If I hadn't known her as well as I did, she would have sounded bitter, but I knew she wasn't mad or upset, she was just a girl who wanted to be cuddled. Luckily for her I was without a cuddle buddy so when we got home we went straight to her room and put in Safe Haven. Her mom made us popcorn and brought us ice cream as we wallowed in self pity. She fell asleep before the movie was over, and I knew I was close to passing out myself so I let myself out and walked to my house.

Jace was sitting on the couch staring at his phone when I walked in. I could tell he was waiting for her to text him back but she probably wouldn't wake up for another 12 hours from how tired she was. He looked up when I walked in and I knew he thought she was mad at him. I explained to him that she just wanted to be cuddled with earlier, she didn't feel like talking. And now she was fast asleep, not ignoring him.

This was the Jace nobody else new existed. He was so upset with himself for not being there. I knew he would go get flowers and a sad movie from the store and spend all day making it up to her. He would kiss her and hug her and take her wherever she wanted for the day until he knew she wasn't mad at him. I knew she wasn't, but all he wanted was to love her and make sure. When it came to Clary he was without reason.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

They had won. The first state title in football since 1983. They were presented their medals and their trophy as they basked in the feeling. They were the best team in Ohio and they had the medal to prove it. Jace hadn't cried since we adopted him and he was so close right now. The whole team was still celebrating two days later and Jace was on an emotional high like I've never seen before.

Before Clary had come into his life he had hardly ever smiled. He was a serious guy. Clary had opened up a little, but the smile that was always on his face, was a first for me. The only time he ever smiled for no reason was when he was with Clary, or thinking about her. (Which, to be fair was all the time). But now it was almost impossible to see him without a smile on his face.

Thanksgiving break was the week after they won and basketball had already started, which meant he was back in the gym 6 days a week. At least now, Clary wasn't playing a sport so they got to spend a lot more time together. (When we weren't together) Jon was really good at basketball. Along with Will so they had another chance of advancing far in the tournament. Jace played because he was good, not because he enjoyed it like football. He almost didn't play because if he got hurt his football career would be over, but he needed to stay in shape.

Thanksgiving day the school was closed so they were forced to cancel practice as they fattened themselves with Turkey. Normally it was just the 6 of us but this year Clary, Jon, Jocelyn and Luke were coming. All of us dressed up in our sweaters and ready to eat the turkey and ham. Sitting at our extended dining room table we talked and declared what we were thankful for. Jace had looked at Clary before saying their new neighbors. She had blushed and said she was thankful for us too. That if she hadn't moved she would never have met any of us, and she couldn't imagine what a life like that was like anymore. We toasted to that and finished our meals on a much less serious note.

All of us kids went to the basement to watch movies. Max got to pick first so with little surprise he picked the Avengers. (It was Clary's and his favorite movie) We watched, cuddled together, movie after movie until it was time for them to go home.

Jace had spent the whole night in silence. He had kissed Clary goodnight and held on to her extra tight before she left. Almost immediately after we showered he came into my room. What if she hadn't come? His voice was hardly above a whisper. I was silent because we both know the answer to that. He would still be blindly in love with football and alone in the world. I knew he was scared that she would stop loving him one day or realize that she could do better. I knew it kept him up some nights.

So I told him what I knew. That she loved him. Not like he loved her. Recklessly and without restraint. But always. I knew that there was nothing anyone else could do to make her stop loving him. She wouldn't put up with him being a grouchy moody person all the time, to scared to lose her to love her. But she would forgive him over and over. And love him as long as he would let her.

I told him that she knew football was his first love. He interrupted me there. He told me how he would rather never play football again than live one day without her. The look on his face was dead serious and I knew that he would love her till he died. It wasn't puppy love or high school love. This was it for him. He gave his whole heart to her. His life was now in her hands. Call her. And he did.

I was never much of an eavesdropper but I just had to. So I pressed my ear to the door and heard him confess his undying love for her. I heard him ask her if she new that he would rather never play football again than have to live without her for even one day. I heard him tell her that he loved her. That he would love her to the day he died and if there was a life after that, he would love her than.

I pretended not to notice him sneaking out that night to show her just how much he loved her, or the way he looked at her like she hung the moon after that. I pretended not to notice the way she looked at him with so much love in her eyes or the way she smiled every time she got a text from him. It was almost painful to watch these two. Because this was love. And it made me want it to. But it would never be like this. They were made to love each other. They were lost without each other.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

It was their first Christmas and Jace wanted to make sure there were several more. He took her ice skating, tobogganing, snowboarding, and into to the city to see the lights. They bought lots of hot chocolate and coffee and stayed up late almost every night.

She painted. Lots of scenery photos of the sights she seen, but mostly she painted Jace. Jace snowboarding. Jace laughing as she fell while ice skating. Jace with a whip cream mustache. She was so inspired by all the joy she was experiencing and it showed in every single one of her pictures.

Jace was happy too. It was the first Christmas since he moved in with us that he wasn't moping around like a lost boy because football ended. His all star team had won the football game a couple weeks back and he had hardly cared. All he cared was that Clary was home sicker than a dog.

She had gotten the bad case of the flu. Hadn't shown up to school one day and wasn't texting Jace back. Needless to say, he was freaking out. After finding out from Jon when he texted him that she had woken up this morning with a high fever and couldn't stop throwing up. She was so delirious that she almost fell asleep mid throw up. (Very disgusting)

She barely moved from her bed all week except when her mom forced her to go the doctors when it hadn't improved. And the worst part. Jace wasn't even allowed to see her. She didn't want him getting sick. Not when he had the all star game that Saturday.

He had tried to sneak in just to give her a quick kiss on the forehead and drop of a teddy bear but she was awake when he got there. She promptly threw him out. Telling him she loved him and took the teddy bear but wouldn't let him come any closer.

He had spent all week anticipating the game, not because he wanted to play, but because he wanted to see Clary. Her condition wasn't letting up and the medicine they had put her on wasn't helping. She had a lot of chest pain and I knew that was causing Jace to have chest pain of his own.

So he went to the all star game, played his part, met new people, and came straight home. He didn't even tweet anything about the win. Instead he raced inside took a shower and ran to Clary's. (I think she would have let him see her if she knew that he was going to completely disregard this accomplishment, but you never know what you're going to get with Jace.)

He threw his arms around her and scooted her over so he could have room to lay next to her. She just let him, knowing there was nothing that she could say that would make him leave her. He took a picture of the two of them, and that's how he remembered the big win he had. A picture he uploaded of him and Clary because he got to see her for first time in a whole week.

By the time she was better they only had a week left until break and a whole lot of make up work to make up. So he didn't see much of her for a couple more days as she studied for make up tests and tests the next day. As she did homework assignment after homework assignment, only taking a break to eat.

Christmas break was fun. Clary and her family came over for a Christmas Eve dinner where we ate and laughed till well past midnight. All of us exchanged gifts, but what I was most excited for was Clary giving Jace his gift.

She had been working on this painting since she met him. He was unwrapping it, laughing with Clary, I'm sure about the gift Jon had gotten Jace. A world's best brother-in-law mug.

He suddenly stopped laughing. In his hands he held a tied blanket, with football's on one side Ohio state on the other. That wasn't what making him speechless though.

Sitting on the top of the blanket was a painting, that if I hadn't known who did it, I would have thought it was a photograph. It was of Jace. Decked out in Ohio State gear, barreling through a bunch of Michigan jerseys as he crossed over the end zone. It even looked like him, not some random dude wearing his number. The body and hair was exactly like Jace's. You could see the determination in his golden eyes and see the slight smile threatening to over take his face.

But the best part was the five people in the stands. Everything was kind of blurred but Jace. But you could tell that those people were us. Jon with his short white hair. Me with my long black hair. Alec and Max with their short black hair. And Clary with her long flowing red hair.

It was the first time I had ever seen him speechless in my life. He was just staring at it. Clary hadn't even really noticed, to busy laughing with Alec over the mug he had given her, a world's best sister in law. (They hadn't even planned it)

When she finally did notice him, it was because he was hugging the daylights out of her. He had pulled her into his lap, the picture and blanket placed carefully on the floor, and kissing the base of her neck and muttering things in her ear. She was surprised at first and than confused before she became flattered. He was praising her and she was turning beat red. When he finally did let her go he leaned back on the couch with her fit in his side. That's how they stayed till she left, curled up and silent, leaning on each other in more ways than one.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare. Sorry for the short chapter.**

He had committed the first week of January. To go to OSU. It had been a big ceremony, which almost half the school went to, and there were plenty of video cameras recording the whole thing. Mom and Dad were standing behind him, looking proud of their son and of his accomplishments. We were there too. Alec, me, and Max. Standing there with him through it all.

Clary and Jon were in the front row. Cheering and taking pictures with the rest, but for different reasons. They wanted him to remember that there were people in the audience who loved him and were proud of him, not just there to get out of class. He would look over at her and smile at her every few minutes where he would receive a smile back.

He looked good in the uniform. But he looked even better next to Clary. She had told me the other day that a life without Jace seemed scarier to her than a life at OSU. Her dream College had always been NYU. She had been on the waiting list since she toured there two years ago. Her art had touched then so deeply and she was a shoe in to get a huge scholarship, but that paled in comparison to the the distance it was from Jace.

They were scared. Not that they would break up, but that something would happened that they wouldn't be there for. Clary couldn't come down all the time and Jace couldn't come back till after Christmas, when football season ended. And he had to go early, to start practices. He wanted to be there for her. At her games. Her last homecoming. Her prom. Thanksgiving. And Christmas. New Years. Everything. But he couldn't. And he knew she had other obligations than to drive down every weekend but it didn't make him want her to any less.

His excitement of going to OSU was more than enough for Clary. She knew he made the decision for him, and that's what she had wanted. He was so excited. Always talking about what he wanted to do. And in everything she was always right next to him. He wanted a Skype schedule where he could talk to her hours each day and wanted her to come down at least once a month until football season was over at least.

Basketball was half way over when he signed. They hadn't lost any games within the conference and he was having fun. With sports it was always go go go. But now he was just having fun. Playing with his friends and winning games together. He had someone to cheer for him now and someone he wanted to play good for.

He played like he had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, which he did. Ohio state had been his dream since he was 10 and it had become a reality. His happiness was infectious. He had always been a little reserved at school. Than Clary had come and pried him open a little but now it was practically impossible to see him without a smile on his face. Now it was just difficult to figure out why. Clary? Football? Who knows? Who cares? All I know is this is the first time my brother has been happy in his whole life and I want to keep it that way.

Jace's birthday had been January 23rd. He had spent the day with us and the night with Clary. She took him to dinner, the first time he's ever let her pay, and than she took him to a Cavs game because despite all his years of living here he had never gone. He came home that night smiling and happy before going to bed. Everything he did with her left him giddy for hours and made him fall even more in love with her each time.

Valentine's day was approaching. Like in two days. And Jace didn't know what to do. Clary was a simple girl and he felt like she wouldn't want anything special. But at the same time, she still is a girl, and isn't that what every girl secretly wants?

He had planned a day out of it. Pick her up in morning and take her out to Takis for pancakes. Than to a movie. Her pick. Than to lunch. Probably at Potbellys. Do what ever she wanted till supper. And than to Olive Garden for a fancy dinner. After that, he was going to drive out of the city in dad's pickup truck and go star gazing as they stuff their faces with chocolate. (I told him it was to much. So he scratched the plan)

When Sunday came around he let her have her morning. She watched sad movies with single ol me until it was time for me to get her ready for her date.

Two hours later Jace was picking her up in dad's truck at 6 o'clock. He opened her door for her as she reached the truck. She looked confused about the truck but kissed him nonetheless. His hand went to her pony tail and pulled out her curls before he pulled away.

He closed the door behind her and they were off. She loved Olive Garden so that's where he took her. They ate till they were full and than went out of the city.

Clary was an artist. She saw beauty in everything. And the stars they saw, she painted for weeks. That's not what Jace went to gaze at though. He loved looking at her face when she found something beautiful.

Her mouth would open and her eyes would widen. Her nose crinkled and her fingers flexed. She would look so intrigued and innocent that Jace just wanted to wrap her in a blanket and hide her from the world.

They spent hours under the stars. Pointing and Laughing while eating chocolate covered strawberries. They named constellations and cuddled till it got to cold.

He dropped her off that night before coming home. He looked so happy that it made my heart melt. His smile big and his eyes bright. He asked if it would be cliche if he screamed in a pillow because she was just to freaking cute. I only shook my head and that just when he did.

He loved her. Any idiot could see that. And she loved him. And they worked. They were similar and different. They balanced each other out. And than she was almost taken away. Ripped from his arms and cast into the unknown.


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not mead to disrespect anybody who could have been influenced by these events. I'm still praying for the people whose lives have ever been effected by these horrible terrorist attacks.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

His life was falling apart before his eyes. Belgium had been bombed. Clary was in in Belgium. She was in the airport. She could be dead. He would be dead.

She was fluent in Dutch. Yah, not a common language but her grandmother and grandfather only spoke Dutch so she learned it too. When it came time to take a language in high school, that's what she chose to do. She was fluent in the language but she couldn't read or write.

Third year students went out of the country to practice the language in it's natural environment. So she was in Belgium with three of her classmates on a five day trip.

Jace had been counting down the minutes the second she left. He face timed her everyday and had been when the bomb went off. Their flight had gotten delayed so she was waiting in the airport talking to Jace when everything blew up. Her phone flew through the air and broke causing Jace to lose signal.

This was two hours ago and we haven't heard word since. He was panicking and getting everybody's attention the second it had happened. He told Jocelyn over the phone and has been flipping through the news channels since it happened.

So far all they new was that the airport she was in had been bombed and there had been no information released about casualties. Jocelyn and Jon had come over immediately to talk to Jace, who refused to leave the tv for even a second. All of us where staring at our phones and watching the news, waiting for something to happen.

Jocelyn's phone rang 3 hours and 39 minutes after Jace lost contact with her. (Jace counted). Putting the phone on speaker, she answered it. A doctor's voice came through the phone speaking in Dutch. Jocelyn and Jon knew what he was saying and were becoming increasingly more white as he continued to talk. They conversed for a little before he hung up.

Clary had broken a rib that punctured her lung, had internal bleeding on her brain that they had performed surgery on an hour ago, and was suffering from a severe concussion. On the less serious side she also had a broken foot and was bruised everywhere. She had been touch and go for a while but they were confident that she would make a full recovery.

We were all torn between relief and grief. She was hurt but safe. She was okay but in a lot of pain. Alone so many miles away with no one to comfort her. And probably so worried about all of us over here. Especially Jace.

Jace had stopped crying during the phone call. Some of his color was back but he was still shaking uncontrollably. We sat there in silence for another hour before Jon started laughing and crying at the same time. He put his head in hands and let the emotion take over him. We all figured it was time to go now.

Later Jace had posted a picture on instagram. It was a picture of him and Clary on the beach. It was pretty much on their faces only but you could see the arm wrapped around her and could tell she was sitting in between his legs. They both looked so happy and gorgeous it brought a fresh new wave of tears to my eyes. His caption read 'today has been the scariest day of my life. Get better soon so you can come home.' So many people wondered what happened so I decided to post a picture myself.

We were in the pool, sharing a raft laughing our heads off at Jace, who was behind me the camera. I posted it with a caption. 'Pray for Belgium. Pray for Clary.'

Going back through Twitter and Instagram I saw many pictures with the same intent. Jon had tweeted 'My sister was in Belgium at the time of the attack. She has been injured and hospitalized over there. Her injuries, although serious, are not life threatening anymore. Come home soon. Pray for Belgium. Pray for Clary.' So many other people had tweeted Pray for Belgium. Pray for Clary. that it had become a tag. People on instagram posted their own photos of themselves and Clary including Alec and Simon whose were a lot more heart felt.

We wanted to make sure she new she wasn't really alone. That we were counting down the days before she got to come again, so we could never let her go again.

Clary came back one week after it happened. Her body was battered and bruised. Her leg in a cast. Her head bandaged still and her chest was wrapped.

She was happy though. A smile on her face and her eyes bright as she talked and hugged everyone. One of her hands were wrapped in Jace's and the other was squeezing Jon's.

Jon had been just as distraught as Jace. He had skipped almost every basketball practice and played like crap in the one game they had. He just couldn't focus. After failing a test on the Thursday after she was injured he went home and hadn't gone back.

Seeing his sister broken, I know broke him too. He looked in pain as he held her hand and I could see the overprotectiveness setting in. If her and Jace were ever to break up (highly unlikely) she would never be allowed to date again. She would never be going out of the county without him again. She would be under his watchful eye 24/7 and he was going to make sure nothing ever hurt his sister again.

Jace was just as bad. He never left her side either. In her first week back he left her only for school and bedtime. And even that wasn't everyday. I think she appreciated him spending the night because I could hear the screaming from my room. Followed by Jace's footsteps as he ran over there. She was scared. She had almost died. She had almost died alone.

She had confessed to me what happened in the airport. Crying into my shoulder as I visited her while Jace and Jon were at practice. One minute she had been laughing with Jace about something Alec had done that morning and than the next she was laying on the floor a few feet away. She could still hear the buzzing in her ears as her head smacked the ground and her leg twisted painfully underneath her. A bench had fallen on top of her, breaking one of her ribs and bruising her body. The worst part. Those were the burns.

Her torso now contained a huge burn mark from when a piece of the building that had been on fire hit her too. Luckily it hadn't still been burning because there was no way she would have been able to put it out.

For weeks she suffered nightmares as we all watched paralyzed from the sidelines. We couldn't do anything but coax her out of it and calm her down. Jace held her. Jon ran his hand up and down her back and through her hair. Jocelyn made her coffee (she didn't like tea) and Luke rubbed her feet.

When she was able to come back to school, one month after it happened, her foot was in a walking boot and dark bags hung from under her eyes. But she didn't have to go through it alone. Somebody was always there for her. Walking her to class. Helping her with homework. Driving her around.

She was positive through it all. Letting people help her and love her. But her art changed. She spent a lot of time alone in her room during that month when everyone was at school and work. Her themes were now darker and sometimes a little depressing. And they received a lot of attention when she had turned some in to make up for lost time in her art class. The teacher loved them. They were emotional and very good. Her talent was incomprehensible to me. And I was happy that she was able to let out some of her fear through her paintings.


	13. Chapter 13

**I am going on an over night trip with my school tomorrow morning so I may not be able to update till Wednesday or Thurday. If I can I will, if not, see you Thursday!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

Clary was almost back to normal by May. Her concussion was completely gone, having been cleared of all the symptoms. Her burns were now the small scars that would never go away and her bruises were almost faded. The only problem she still had was her foot.

She could walk without a boot or fancy shoe now but it still bothered her sometimes. She couldn't run more than a few minutes and had problems with side to side motions.

Volleyball open gyms had started again and she badly wanted to be cleared by her physical therapist so she could get back in the gym. She had been cleared to drive and run every other day, which was good, but not what she wanted. Patience was never her strong suit.

Her and Jace were better than ever. He was no longer playing a sport so if he wasn't hanging out with Alec or Jon she was with him. And they never go tired of each other. It was weird. The more time they spent together the less they wanted to be apart. You'd figure they'd get sick of each other.

He was slowly coming to the realization that in a couple months they'd be over two hours away from each other. That he wasn't always going to be pick up the phone and call her. They were busy and he doubted they'd always have the same breaks. But if anything, it only made him hold on tighter.

Jace trys to distance himself when he knows he's going to get hurt. It's always been like that. But he didn't with Clary. The fact that he wasn't going to see her everyday made him want to see her everyday. He was making up for lost kisses and hugs already.

She was happy too. Despite the fact that she had almost died. And not like the almost died you feel when you almost get hit by a car but the if the bench had fallen on her head and killed her almost dead. Her nightmares were almost never. Once every few weeks. And Jon was there when she did have them. She was easily coaxed out of them and straight back to bed. Her life was getting back on track.

We all started hanging out all the time, with no sports to get in the way. We were watching a movie when Clary told us they were going to Florida for vacation that summer. Driving, Of course. For 10 days.

To Jace that would be ten days that he wouldn't get to spend with her. She was already coming with us to South Carolina for a week in June. So was Jon and we were very excited to go.

We didn't know what to say. Until Jon smiled. We were all coming. Simon too. Without their parents. That caught my attention. Jocelyn was very protective. Clary was only 17. (So was I) she wasn't normally aloud to stay out past 11 o'clock unless she was spending the night. And they were letting her go to Florida with her boyfriend and no parental supervision?

That all seemed to be the least of Jace's worries who suddenly looked very happy again. A week of Clary in a bathing suit and no parent supervision, were they mad? I was excited too, Simon and I were getting closer and I enjoyed spending time with him.

Jon was very single still. Liked playing around with some girls from time to time but just hadn't met somebody who sparked his interest, so him and Alec were just going to hang when they felt like third wheels. This excitement bought us some buffer time for school before Prom.

Prom was a senior only event at our school. Luckily, I had been asked by one of Jace's friends so we would be going in a big group. Jace had asked Clary over dinner one night when she was recovering from her injuries.

She had already gotten a dress, but wasn't sure anymore since she had some burns now that were rather noticeable in her dress.

Jace didn't care though. He actually kind of liked the scars. Told her that it was a reminder to him of just how amazing and brave she was. So she just kept the dress. And man did she rock it.

Getting her ready was always fun, she was just so naturally beautiful. Making her curls perfect was a little challenging but it was always worth it seeing Jace's jaw drop as he took her in. Right now his jaw was on the ground and I didn't blame him.

She looked beautiful in her blue dress. It had a huge cutout from the sides to the back with sparkly straps. Her burns were along her sides and a little above her chest but you could hardly see them under her hair and smile.

We all took pictures. The five of us. Before going to the park nearby where all the prom attendees went to. We all took pictures and split up into our groups. Clary was subjected to take pictures with so many people and Jace was forced to pose with so many girls before we decided it was time to leave.

All of us came from pretty wealthy homes you could say, and had no problem paying for the party bus. There were 14 of us and we had a blast. We were already dancing and blasting music as we let loose.

Prom was fun. A lot more fun than I had anticipated. There was no awkward standing or grinding that you experience at homecoming. It was like a giant moshpit of seniors and their dates saying farewell to the school. The prom itself was at the zoo. Yah i know what you're thinking, ugh smelly animals, but it was so nice.

The after prom was even better. We had rented out Kalahari for a few hours. It was this huge indoor water park and we went on every ride. There were no lines and so many people had already disappeared.

Jace and Clary were running around like Mad men. He looked so happy and she looked like she had forgotten that her burns were on display for the whole world to see. They looked like little kids having the time of their lives, like they always did.

By the time we all got home, it was 4 am in the morning so we all crashed on our huge sectional in the family room. We were enjoying the last month before school ended, because for Jon, Alec, and Jace, it was ending for good.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

It was may 29th. Jon, Alec, and Jace were graduating today. All dressed up in their caps and gowns ready to go. Clary and I in our summer dresses ready to help our friends say goodbye to the place they grew up.

Alec was very intelligent. So were Jace and Jon who were in the top ten of our class, but he was number two. So as salutatorian he had to give a speech. And man did he deliver.

I was reduced into tears, as many others were. He hit it perfectly. The love that he has for this school, for his classmates, for their future. And he meant everything he said. He wasn't the most vocal person but that didn't stop him from having the best four years of his life and he made that known.

Clary and I were taking pictures with other people when Jace finally found us. He waited patiently for her to finish before he whisked her away so he could get his own pictures. After twenty minutes of pictures we were finally free to go home.

It was nice outside and we had opened the pool a couple weeks ago. We braved the slightly cool water together. And had a blast. We decided to play chicken so we teamed up sibling style. Jace and Max, Jon and Clary, and Alec and I.

We played games for hours in the pool and at the volleyball net before it was time to go inside and have a celebratory dinner, neither Alec or Jace wanted a graduation party. So it was just us and the Frays. Partying it up together.

Clary and I had one week left of school before we to could kick it at home with the boys. We took our finals and had a little graduation of our own. Blasting music in the car and cheering because we were finally, officially seniors. And man did we rock it.

Since we only had one final we got back before the boys were even awake. They were still riding the graduation high so they were passed out, together, on the sectional with candy wrappers everywhere and game controllers next to them.

Jon had decided that he wanted a graduation party (because he wanted the money for college.) So that day, as celebration for school ending, he invited the whole high school and their families to his house.

So they ordered a ton of food and set up a couple party tents in their back yard and had a full blown party. There were hundreds of people there at anytime and Jonathan had to greet them all (There were pros and cons to everything) while the remaining four of us, Simon, and Max made home in the hammocks out back.

And that how we kicked off the summer of our lives. Together, just like how we planned to end it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

Come vacation time, we were all so stoked. Our parents had flown out there but we all wanted to drive. Clary still wasn't ready to face her fears and we were not going to make her.

All of us, besides max who had flown down with mom and dad, loaded up Jon's Chevy equinox and started the drive to South Carolina. A couple summers ago we had made this drive and it was not nearly as fun as the one this time.

We spent hours switching off drivers and playing games in the back. There was never silence. Whether we were talking, laughing or playing games. And after ten hours of straight driving, we finally arrived.

Mom and dad had already pretty much set everything up and Max was playing in the ocean. Our house literally opened up into the ocean. Like the ocean was right there. There was no mile of white sand in between. It was only a like twenty feet away, waiting to be swam in. So we raced to our bedrooms, suitcases in hand, and threw on our swimsuits.

The water was so warm and the sand so soft. And we had so much fun. We laid out in the sun and played games in the ocean. Almost nobody else was around and we were having a blast.

Dinner was amazing. Not wanting to cook the first day we went to this amazing place on the ocean. Literally. On stilts. And the food was to die for. We left stuffed and happy. And we didn't want our first day to end.

By the time we arrived at the beach house, it was dark. So like any normal group of friends, we decided to go night swimming. Clary and I changed back into our swimsuits before joining the boys at the ocean.

We sat on towels and talked until Jon and Jace scooped us up and threw us into the ocean. She was laughing as she swam away from Jon who was chasing her. She sought comfort in Jace who protected her away from Jon, by starting a fight with him.

Walking back to the house we were all so tired. Tired but happy. Falling asleep and knowing you get to wake up in paradise, what could be better?

The days following only continued to get better. Long days on the beach and long nights spending time together. And we were sad when the final day was approaching.

On our last night we had a bonfire. A big one. The fire, not the amount people. And we enjoyed our time together.

Jace and Clary had disappeared after an hour to go sit by the shore. They sat down, Clary in between his legs, and watched as the water lapped on the shore in the moonlight.

I felt like I was looking at a magazine cover or was watching a romantic movie. They weren't talking. Just smiling and watching the beautiful scene in silence. He was tracing her burns with his fingers and nuzzling his nose into her neck.

We were going to interrupt them, but after looking at them, I made sure they didn't. And when they finally came in that night, after another hour, they looked at peace.

I wanted to be loved like Clary was. I wanted to love like her too. Like nothing anybody could do would ever get in the way. To love because no matter how much it could hurt in the end, it felt to good for them to stop. The idea that they didn't even know the other existed less than a year ago was completely foreign. To me, they were always meant to be together and no power on Earth could ever change that.

Going home was sad. But the car ride was fun and we knew we had something to look forward to that was only a couple weeks away. During the couple of weeks before our trip to Florida we filled with so much fun. Concerts, practice, pool time, cedar point, movies, lots and lots of ice cream.

We were all have the summer of our dreams. The summers you see in the movies and hope you have. And the idea that they were leaving in a couple of months was pushed way out of sight. Out of sight out of mind.

Clary and I had gone to a concert last night. We had decided to spend the whole day together which meant that Jace was probably really exited to see her today. The only problem, she was sick. She had gotten the flu again. And with no all-star game, Jace was determined to take care of her.

He got sick the first day. He honestly couldn't resist kissing her. So now they were both sick. Lying on the couch with tissues everywhere, marathoning the show Psych on Netflix. (Best show ever) and cuddling together.

He couldn't stop coughing or blowing his nose, but I know he preferred this to not seeing her, like last time.

Both of our mom's were mad at them. Though they also found it cute, so the lecture was a little soft. And they spent a week on that couch. Stuffing their faces with whatever would stay down and watching Netflix till their eyes bled. When they were finally better, we had a week before our trip.

Somehow it seemed different than our last one. Like a final hazza before they left for college. And it was even more highly anticipated than the last.

To hold ourselves over we watched so many movies and swam in the pool till we wrinkled. By this time we were all so dark we didn't even need sunscreen. Well, except for Clary who managed to look even paler than before summer started.

But, summer still looked good on her. Her freckles became darker and her hair lighter. She was always in a bathing suit, showing off her thin physique. And I knew Jace was really proud to be her boyfriend.

Whenever we went places they were always touching. And not the touching that made you uncomfortable. It wasn't like they had to prove to people that they were taken, it was like they needed their rock. So his arm winded it self around her or her hand slipped into his all the time.

When other boy's looked at Clary it only made Jace prouder. Proud that he had landed the best person on the planet. And jealous. And a jealous Jace was never a good one.

Sebastian Verlac had been his somewhat of an enemy in high school and worked as a pizza delivery person. He had deliver our pizza one time and Clary had opened the door. He had flirted with her, offering her a discount and was really holding her up at the door. When she didn't return right away, Jace walked to the door.

The following events weren't pretty. See Jace was really good at hiding his emotions, accept for when Clary was involved. And Sebastian loved being able to piss him off, since nothing had ever worked in the past ten years.

So he flirted with Clary in front of Jace. And she looked extremely uncomfortable, all she wanted was her pizza. So Jace came to her rescue.

He asked Sebastian how much. And Sebastian instantly fired him up. 20 dollars and a kiss. Clary wasn't shy or scared, she just rolled her eyes, grabbed 20 bucks and a Hershey kiss from beside the door. Jace took the pizza and Clary handed him the money and kiss. And Sebastian was peeved.

They closed the door in his face and walked back to the kitchen. Now Jace didn't look to happy. It wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, as we found out later, but it still ticked him off to see someone hit on his girlfriend.

Clary looked both irritated and flattered. Irritated because she could handle herself and flattered because it felt good to have someone care for you. So she just got her pizza and walked back to the living room. Jace joined her and we decided to give them some space.

We walked in five minutes later and they were already laughing together about something. I doubt their so called fight even lasted 30 seconds.

We found out later that Sebastian had made a bet with some guy's from school that he could get Clary to kiss him. And when Jace found out he beat the crap out of him. And this time Clary wasn't their to stop him.

When Alec had told him he went ballistic. He grabbed his car keys and left. We didn't know where he was going but we figured it out when he came back with a black eye and some bruised knuckles. And Clary was pissed.

He could lose his scholarship for fighting. And there would go his dream. Everything he ever worked for would be gone. And that made him mad. She didn't get it, she was his dream now. Football had taken a back seat to her the moment he laid eyes on her.

This fight lasted a little more than five minutes. It lasted right up to when we left. Both were angry at each other and refused to see each others side. But they made up, because as stubborn as they both were, they were miserable without each other.


	16. Chapter 16

**Only one, maybe two more chapters to go!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

Our trip to Florida was even better out last one. I had thought the twenty hour car ride would dampen our moods, but it was so much fun. There was a lot more naps than last the one but it was still just as fun. Lots of laughing and playing games to fill up the time. We never stopped driving. It was a long day but we didn't want to have to do it for two days.

When we got to our resort we all passed out. Clary and I, Jon and Simon, and Alec and Jace. I'm sure that would all change by the the next night but we were all to tired to argue. Even Jace.

We all woke up late that day and decided to just hang out all day. Explore our room and watch movies. So Jon and Jace made us all sandwiches for lunch, Clary had both of them wrapped around her little finger. And come dinner time she slaved away in the kitchen. She wouldn't let me help her make the tacos.

Eating together was always fun. There wasn't three different conversations going. There was one. And everybody contributed to it. And we sat there for two hours, eating and talking, with nobody to stop us.

That night Clary and Jace went to bed before us. I couldn't even care that I was going to share with Alec (and a wall of pillows) because I was a sucker for romance. So they went to their room and we made them promise to be quiet. Jace smirked as Clary blushed, like they normally do, and closed the door.

The next day, we went to Universal. Clary and Simon were huge nerds, and were so excited they couldn't even contain themselves. They couldn't stop bouncing in their seats as we made the two hour drive from our place on the beach, to Orlando.

Jon was driving with me in the front seat and I couldn't help but thing of as a giant family. Alec and Simon in the captain chairs with Clary laying across Jace in the back. Everyone talking about the most random things because there was no judgement here.

When we got there Clary and Simon departed from our group, we were all going to meet at the three broomsticks for lunch. So we walked around and went on every rollercoaster that looked fun before making our way there.

Clary and Simon walked in after us and made their way to the food serving counters before joining us at our table. Unlike most of our meals, this one was short. They still had a lot of stuff to experience before we had to leave to go back, so they barely talked as they stuffed their faces before heading back out.

I thought Jace would be anxious all day long, but he wasn't. He trusted that Simon could take care of her, he had been long before Jace met her. So we hung out, with Jon, all day long waiting for Clary and Simon to finish. And when they did we all headed back home, spent and happy.

We didn't leave the room, accept for the beach in the back yard, for a couple of days. Clary and I spent a lot of time tanning, or trying to, and talked about Simon and Jace. Simon had asked me out while we were here and was taking me to dinner that night. It was fun. It was one of the first times I ever felt really respected by the guy who took me out. And I really wanted it to happen again.

When we got back to the room, Jon and Clary were watching a movie together and Jace and Alec were already in bed. I was jealous of their sibling relationship. Sure i was close with Alec and Jace, but they were best friends. They told each other everything. It was like they were two girls, unable to hide anything from each other.

They had told us they had a tough time before they moved here. An alcoholic dad who liked to cheat on his wife and ignore his children. He had been livid when Jocelyn divorced him, and it had been a really messy affair. They had fought for custody for a while, Jocelyn wouldn't take anything less than full custody and no visits. And the kids were grateful for their mother, one of the reasons they were so happy when she had reconnected with Luke and later had married him. Their family loved because they never wanted to feel unloved again, it had been a miserable first ten years of their lives.

It surprised me, how Clary could love even though she had seen what it could do. It tore her family apart. But she loved Jon. Her big brother had been her world. And she had been his. I'm sure if not for each other they would have been a mess, having to deal with an overbearing mother and an absent father.

And Jace. I didn't even know someone could love like they did. Time and time again they proved to themselves that they could over come adversity.

Even now as Clary walked to the room she was sharing with Jace, a smile on her face, her love showed. I'm sure Jace is still awake, waiting for his love to join him. And they would exchange stories, and spend hours enjoying each others company until one fell asleep.

And when we went home he had problems coping. After he'd gotten a taste of what being with her felt like, he was never content with anything less. He more often than not snuck out at night so he could fall asleep next to her and wake up with her in his arms. And going to college killed him, he couldn't sleep and he locked himself up in his dorm, completely love sick.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. All rights belong to Cassandra Clare.**

August first. That was Jace's last full day before he had had to go to OSU for training camp. He would be leaving the next day and he was both excited and upset. I don't think he new how hard leaving was going to be.

We didn't do anything fancy, we all just chilled together all day watching movies and swimming. And Clary, her mom, and my mom all made a dinner, because it would be a long time before he got a home cooked meal.

Sitting at dinner was like every other time. There was no awkward silence and we had a good time, knowing that Jace was leaving and that Jon and Alec would be leaving soon enough. Alec to OSU and Jon to Mount Union to work on becoming a forensic scientist. And Clary and I were going to be alone this year. Simon was in still in Detroit and we were trying a long distance relationship and Jace was going to be in OSU. And they were going to work. I'd bet my life on it.

As much as we wanted to spend the last night with him, we'd be driving him to OSU tomorrow without Clary and we knew he wanted to spend the night with her. They went driving back out in the country to star gaze for hours. And when they came back, she accompanied him to his room.

His room was one of the most changed things since he started dating her. First off, before she came, no one was aloud in there, accept for Maryse when she changed his sheets. Not even Alec. And second of all, it had been so bare. White walls, a dresser, and simple bed. No pictures. Only trophies. One shelf full or trophies, ribbons, and plaques, always organized precisely and never touched.

Now, it was filled with pictures. Of him and Clary. And of all of us. Everywhere. On his bedside table, hanging on the walls, on his trophy shelf, and on top of his dresser. Most of them with out a frame, accept for three.

All five of us, on the beach down in Florida. Clary in his lap smiling, Jon and Alec with their arms around each others shoulders, and I was laughing at Simon, who was taking the picture. We all looked so happy.

Two of him and Clary. He was wearing his football uniform in one, with his helmet in his hand and his other arm around Clary, who was kissing him. It was the cliche cute picture of a football player and his girlfriend. And the other was from homecoming. She was laughing at him as he smiled at the camera, their arms wrapped around each other.

These were the pictures he packed in his bag with him to go to college. Along with the painting Clary made. And whenever we face timed I could see them sitting on his bedside table and on his dresser, for all the world to see.

They made it. The first year was a little rough. She pretended she was fine but we could all see the loss of her brother and boyfriend hit her hard. She smiled less and spent more time painting. The only time she was ever happy was when she was face timing one of them or visiting one of them. And from what we could see of Jace, was that he was the same. Only practicing and going to classes. Never going out. Just wanted to face time her anytime he could.

Come summer time, they were so happy. Happy to see each other everyday. And when summer was over, they were still okay. Clary was going to OSU, too. She couldn't take another year away from him. And I went there too. Simon and I had lasted long distance and wanted to try being together all the time. So both of us went there. Clary and I were roommates for the first year before she moved in with Jace her sophomore year.

After three years of being the starting quarterback for OSU, he was drafted into the NFL. First round pick. To the New York Giants. So Clary transferred. To her dream school. She lived with Jace off campus, in between her college and his stadium. And they stayed there until she graduated NYU.

He had proposed her senior year. After he won. She came on the field to congratulate him and he got down on one knee. They were married within the year. Him a professional football player and her a famous artist.

People from all over traveled to see him play and to see her paint. And when he was traded to the Cleveland Browns they moved back to the city they had grown up in. Bought a big house and started a family. Clary started working from home as she raised their two children. And they were happy. They lived a life full of so much love together.

We went back to Florida. Before any of us turned thirty we went back to the exact same resort. Jon with his wife. Seelie. They had one child and another on the way. Alec and his husband Magnus. They had met in college and Alec had finally come out to us. Simon and I had gotten married a year ago, and I was pregnant with our first child. Clary and Jace. Both as happy as the first time, this time with two beautiful children.

Ten days. Ten days away from the outside world. Spending time together like we did before we went to college. Looking around at us all now, I was happy. But this story is about Jace and Clary. And none looked happier than them.

After they had put the kids to bed they had gone out to the ocean. Watching the waves meet the shore as they sat in silence. The married life had been good for them. I don't know how, but they fell even more in love with each other.

They sat there for hours. But this time, we joined them. All of us. Sitting in silence as we watched the ocean say hi to the shore. We hadn't changes all that much. Love was what had brought us all together and love was what was keeping us all together.

And Clary and Jace. They had made it. She had helped him realize there was more to life than shoulder pads and pigskin. She had saved my brother, though none of us new he needed it. And he loved her. He was everything her father hadn't been. A loving husband, a great father, and a perfect brother. And seeing them together now, was like seeing them together before. Completely at the mercy of each other. Loved and loving. And they'd last. They were never going to stop. Because they had found something so much better than Friday night lights and bottles of paint. They had found each other.

 ** _Okay, so this was the final chapter. But I had talked to a few people about maybe doing a few one shots or something like that of their first kiss of maybe an interview involving Jace as football player. I don't really know, maybe ill right another story, I don't know at this point. Anyways thanks for all of your support and input. Comment or leave a review if you have any suggestions, I'm open to almost anything._**


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